Bill Engvall announces his retirement from stand-up
The "Here's Your Sign" comic is heading on a farewell tour later this month
After over four decades, Bill Engvall is retiring from standup. Variety broke the news, sharing a statement given by the comic:
I have been blessed with the greatest career anyone could ask for. Making people laugh is a dream job and has fulfilled my life in so many ways. I’m excited to focus on future opportunities in entertainment and spend more time with my family. I’m not going anywhere—just hanging up my hat when it comes to sleeping in the airport and in-room dining.
Engvall also made the formal announcement via a live video on his Facebook page at noon ET, thanking fans for their support throughout the years and urging them to catch him on his farewell tour, “Here’s Your Sign, It’s Finally Time.” It kicks off on August 26 at the Quechuan Casino Resort in Winterhaven, California, with planned stops in Mississippi, Oklahoma, Indiana, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Florida, and other yet-to-be-announced states.
Engvall is best known for his work with the Blue Collar Comedy group, alongside Jeff Foxworthy, Larry The Cable Guy, and Ron White, who performed sets based around their Southern origins, poking fun at the redneck culture they grew up with. But rather than telling jokes about hating Hillary Clinton or loving the death penalty like some of the other Blue Collar guys did, Engvall took an inoffensive approach, mostly focusing on telling stories about his family, and recurrently performing the “Here’s Your Sign” bit, where he called out moronic interactions he’s had with people. The multiple Blue Collar Comedy Tour specials led to a short-lived sketch series, Blue Collar TV, that aired on The WB from 2004 until 2006. The group stopped touring together in 2006, ending their run with Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One For The Road.
But beyond Blue Collar Comedy, Engvall’s had a successful standup career on his own, releasing various comedy albums and even starring in his own TBS sitcom, The Bill Engvall Show.